The Walking Dead Review: Hearts Still Beating (Season 7 Episode 8)
Earlier this season, it certainly seemed like the women of this show were going to be the ones leading the fight against Negan, and The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 8, “Hearts Still Beating” reinforces that.
Rosita’s rise to the spotlight has been one of the highlights of Season 7 so far. After mostly just being a supporting player in others’ story arcs, it’s great to see her get her own story.
Yes, she probably should know better than to try to shoot Negan when she does, considering she was there when Glenn got killed because of Daryl’s actions. But she did just see a man she maybe sorta had feelings for get gutted right in front of her, and her emotions get the best of her.
She reacts rashly, but her mistake is just another part of building her own identity and discovering who she is without Abraham or anyone else.
Michonne, meanwhile, gets to be the one to deliver an impassioned, inspiring speech near the end of “Hearts Still Beating.”
She doesn’t get to shout the speech to an entire group of people, like Rick and so many other white male characters on other shows often get to do, but that doesn’t make it any less rousing or emotional.
It’s a standout scene for Danai Gurira, and a great moment for Michonne.
We don’t see a whole lot of Maggie, Sasha, and Enid in this episode, but what we do see makes it clear that the people at the Hilltop value Maggie and Sasha. Even Enid gets her moment when she tries to convince Sasha that she’s not the only one who wants to actually take action to try to bring down Negan.
And then there’s Carol, who just wants to be left the hell alone and doesn’t want anything to do with a fight against the Saviors. But she still doesn’t know what happened to Abraham and Glenn, which might be just the information she needs to join the cause.
It took eight episodes, but it seems like things will finally get moving in the second half of Season 7.
Rick is the one at the head of the group in the final moments of the midseason finale, but hopefully that doesn’t mean all the women who went on their own journeys in the first half of the season will take a backseat in the second half.
OTHER THOUGHTS:
- Spencer’s death isn’t a total surprise. He was never the strongest person, mentally or physically. Still, the fact that he thinks he can charm Negan as if he’s a sleazy politician who can be bought really shows, for the last time, that Spencer truly has no idea how to survive in this world.
- Olivia’s death is a bit of a disappointment, considering how few female characters there are on the show, but if the writers didn’t want to kill another series regular, she’s really one of the only recurring, but not main, characters in Alexandria.
- Although I’m sure the group will still be staying in Alexandria while Maggie and others are at the Hilltop, it’s such a relief to have mostly everyone in one place at one time. Having everyone so scattered really negatively affects the show’s pacing.
- That final scene at the Hilltop, where everyone gets their own close-up for a second — a cool mirror to everyone getting a close-up during the “eenie-meenie-miney-mo” Negan scene, or a cheesy ending that went on for way too long since there are so many characters?
What did you think of “Hearts Still Beating”? What do you want to see when Season 7 returns in February? Share with us in the comments below!
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The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.
Katie Houlis
Katie is a recent college graduate who spent most of her free time at school binge-watching shows like Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fringe, and Hannibal. She has watched every single episode of Lost at least ten times each (yes, even “Stranger In A Strange Land”). Current favorites include a bunch of comedies, lots of superhero shows, and a few shows with quite a bit of murder in them.